Saturday, October 26, 2013

One of my favorite times of year is here, AFI FEST is back November 7th through the 14th. The 2013 AFI FEST programming includes 119 films (83 features, 36 shorts) with 43 countries represented. The breakdown by section is: Galas/Tributes (8), Special Screenings (7), American Independents (6), New Auteurs (10), World Cinema (32), Midnight (5), Breakthrough (4), Guest Artistic Director (6), Presentations (2), Cinema’s Legacy (3) and Short Films (36). AFI FEST also proudly includes 15 Official Foreign Language Film Oscar® submissions. Check out a more detailed breakdown of what you can see for free during AFI FEST 2013 below.
Instead of regurgitating everything you can read in the official AFI FEST 2013 Film Guide on all 83 features, I've decided to give you a breakdown of the 33 films I am considering a top priority at this year's festival. For ease, I have kept everything separated by the same categories AFI FEST already divided the films into. At the top of each section you will find the film(s) that are top priority, below them will be the rest of the films in a given section listed alphabetically. Each film in this comprehensive list includes title, director, country, and synopsis, however the top priority films will have added insight as to why I am so keen on seeing that particular title.

AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS SELECTIONS

AWFUL NICE

This peculiar and hilarious version of the family road trip movie lands two estranged brothers in Branson, Missouri, where they've inherited the family summer home. DIR Todd Sklar. SCR Todd Sklar, Alex Rennie. USA.Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2013 - The words road trip grab my attention, plus Todd Sklar is a director that has my attention.

BLUE RUIN

This American revenge story follows a mysterious outsider whose quiet life is turned upside down when he returns to his childhood home to carry out an act of vengeance. DIR/SCR Jeremy Saulnier. USA.Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2013 - BLUE RUIN received tremendous buzz from Austin's Fantastic Fest back in September. I read so many positive comments from trusted sources this film instantly went on my radar as something I hoped to see in the AFI FEST 2013 line-up and thankfully here it is.

CHARLIE VICTOR ROMEO

Based on transcripts of real black box recordings, this "performance documentary" immerses viewers in aviation disasters using bare sets, seven actors and 3-D photography. DIR Robert Berger, Patrick Daniels, Karlyn Michelson. SCR Robert Berger, Patrick Daniels, Irving Gregory. USA.Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2013 - This sounds incredible, not to mention something a bit outside of the box.

WE GOTTA GET OUT OF THIS PLACE

Three Texas teens spend a night on the town with stolen money, and unwittingly become lost in the seedy underbelly of organized crime. DIR Zeke Hawkins, Simon Hawkins. SCR Dutch Southern. USA.Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2013 - Friendly bias, I have a few friends involved behind the scenes on this feature. Better, the film walked away from Toronto International Film Festival with plenty of positive word of mouth and reviews.

BREATHE IN – When a foreign exchange student arrives in a small upstate New York town, she challenges the dynamics of her host family's relationships and alters their lives forever. DIR Drake Doremus. SCR Drake Doremus, Ben York Jones. USA.

CAUCUS – This intimate documentary takes us behind the scenes of straw polls and sound bites to watch the 2012 field of Republican presidential hopefuls polish their platforms and butt heads for the first time. DIR AJ Schnack. USA.

BREAKTHROUGH SELECTIONS

CONGRATULATIONS!

The search for a missing boy takes a turn for the bizarre in director Mike Thune's absurdist comedy about a grizzled old sleuth and his peculiar investigative methods. DIR/SCR Mike Brune. USA.Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2013 - I could use a little absurdist comedy told through the guise of a old sleuth. This might have just the right level of brevity in what seems to be a darker year at AFI FEST.

MY AFGHANISTAN – LIFE IN THE FORBIDDEN ZONE

Danish journalist and filmmaker Nagieb Khaja arms 30 civilians with high-definition cell phone cameras in war-torn Afghanistan for this jarring, embedded reportage. DIR/SCR Nagieb Khaja. Denmark.Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2013 - This might be a hard watch considering the content but it is a necessary watch for a better understanding of the situations and conflicts continuing in the Middle East.

B FOR BOY – This elegant, realist drama set in Nigeria highlights cultural and religious discrimination in its story of one woman's desperate need for a male child. DIR/SCR Chika Anadu. Nigeria. North American Premiere.

This epic on an intimate scale by the Coen brothers portrays a week in the life of a young singer as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961. DIR Joel Coen, Ethan Coen. SCR Joel Coen, Ethan Coen. CAST Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund, F. Murray Abraham, Justin Timberlake. USA. Thursday, November 14, 2013. (Closing Night)Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2013 - The Coen brothers are my favorite directors. Their films continue to be premium quality time and time again. I cherish their films (some more than others) but I have a serious hope that this drama/comedy will be another favorite to add to my collection. The buzz remains solid on this feature and if it so happens I can land myself coverage of the Closing Night film, I will not miss it.

THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY

Director/actor Ben Stiller adapts James Thurber’s classic story – about a daydreamer who escapes his anonymous life through his fantasies – with sweeping scope and stirring intimacy. DIR Ben Stiller. SCR Steve Conrad. CAST Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Adam Scott, Patton Oswalt, Shirley MacLaine, Kathryn Hahn. USA. Wednesday, November 13, 2013.Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2013 - This is my most anticipated film left in 2013, so yeah I really want to see it. The first trailer for this feature hit me like a bag of hammers (who the hell has a bag of hammers?) and ever since I have been dumbfounded or it. Plus this movie releases on Christmas day and I never get out to the movies on Christmas day so if I could see it ahead of time it will save me a whole lot of complaining leading up to Christmas day when I can't see it.

THE LAST EMPEROR 3D – Winner of nine Oscars®, this visually sumptuous drama has been transformed into 3-D by director Bernardo Bertolucci and cinematographer Vittorio Storaro. This presentation will be the North American Premiere of the 3D version of the film. DIR Bernardo Bertolucci. SCR Mark Peploe, Bernardo Bertolucci. CAST John Lone, Joan Chen, Peter O'Toole. China, Italy, UK, France. Sunday, November 10, 2013.

A killer of children is on the loose and an obsessive cop hatches a gruesome plan to take justice into his own hands in this tense and ambitious fairytale gone wrong. DIR/SCR Navot Papushado, Aharon Keshlaes. Israel.Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2013 - Navot Papushado and Aharon Keshlaes struck a chord with their last horror comedy KALEVET (RABIES) and I gotta see what they follow it up with.

THE GREEN INFERNO

A loving tribute to cannibal movies, the latest from horror maestro Eli Roth pits college students in the Amazon jungle against the machinations of a violent native tribe. DIR Eli Roth. SCR Eli Roth, Guillermo Amoedo. USA, Chile.Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2013 - Eli Roth making an ode to cannibal movies? Yes, please!

THE SACRAMENT

A journalist enlists his co-workers to shoot a documentary about a jungle commune in this terrifying examination of modern religion and the exploitation of power. DIR/SCR Ti West. USA.Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2013 - Ti West is an incredible director and he has yet to let me down. Word is, THE SACRAMENT is another gem and as an added bonus A.J. Bowen has a leading role.

R100 – A single father signs up for an exclusive new bondage club and gets more than he bargained for in this latest installment of Japanese shock cinema. DIR/SCR Hitoshi Matsumoto. Japan.

THE STRANGE COLOUR OF YOUR BODY'S TEARS – As Dan searches for his missing wife, he begins to suffer from hallucinations and the threat of madness in this gorgeous hommage to classic Italian Giallo movies. DIR/SCR Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani. Belgium, France, Luxembourg.

NEW AUTEURS SELECTIONS

THE FAKE

In this controversial animated drama from South Korea, a rural village in danger of a flood turns to a church that promises salvation. DIR Yeon Sang-ho. SCR Yeon Sang-ho. CAST Yang Ikjune, Oh Jungse, Kwon Haehyo, Park Heevon. South Korea.Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2013 - This kinda sorta sounds like an animated version of THERE WILL BE BLOOD, in any event, to see a hand drawn animated movie in this day and age is a blessing. Plus this looks to be confronting some issues that I'd like to see play out in.

HARMONY LESSONS

This captivating Kazakh drama follows an adolescent boy who faces schoolyard bullying – part of a hierarchy of village corruption – who resolves to plot revenge. DIR Emir Baigazin. SCR Emir Baigazin. CAST Timur Aidarbekov, Aslan Anarbayev, Mukhtar Anadassov, Anelya Adilbekova. Kazakhstan, Germany, France.Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2013 - I'm a sucker for sociology and when you combine corporal punishment and revenge, my eyebrows raise and you have my full attention.

IN BLOOM

A powerful story about two 14-year-old girls who challenge patriarchal expectations in 1992 Tbilisi, after the collapse of the Soviet Union. DIR Nana Ekvtimishvili & Simon Gross. SCR Nana Ekvtimishvili. CAST Lika Babluani, Mariam Bokeria, Zurab Gogaladze. Georgia, Germany, France.Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2013 - If you didn't already know, my profession is a high school history teacher and this film jumps out at me. Patriarchal expectations of girls in the Soviet Union following the collapse of Iron Curtain, yup this sounds extremely intriguing.

A SPELL TO WARD OFF THE DARKNESS

Filmmakers Ben Russell and Ben Rivers team up for the first time to create this experimental triptych of stories revolving around a silent protagonist. DIR Ben Rivers & Ben Russell. SCR Ben Rivers & Ben Russell. CAST Robert A.A Lowe, Taraka Larson, Nimai Larson, Nick Turvey. France, Estoria.Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2013 - One word, experimental has me interested to see how this tale unfolds.

WE ARE MARI PEPA

This comic love letter to the loss of innocence follows a Guadalajara teenager with fun summer expectations who must come to terms with growing responsibilities. DIR Samuel Isamu Kishi Leopo. SCR Samuel Isamu Kishi Leopo & Sofía Gómez Córdova. CAST Alejandro Gallardo, Arnold Ramírez, Jaime Miranda, Moisés Galindo. Mexico.Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2013 - This sounds like it could be a refreshing slice of life in a festival that is (for the most part) pretty dark.

NOTHING BAD CAN HAPPEN – A new member of a fundamentalist Christian group moves in with a family, but soon descends into a vortex of dogmatism, heresy and violence. DIR Katrin Gebbe. SCR Katrin Gebbe. CAST Julius Feldmeier, Sascha Gersak, Swantje Kohlhof, Annika Kuhl. Germany.

THE OWNERS – A comic look at class struggle, this Argentine tale of estate workers and their employers makes full use of its ensemble cast to explore the difficulty of sustaining a lie. DIR Agustín Toscano & Ezequiel Radusky. SCR Agustín Toscano & Ezequiel Radusky. CAST Rosario Blefari, Germán De Silva, Sergio Prina, Cynthia Avellaneda. Argentina. North American Premiere.

THE SELFISH GIANT – In this memorable example of British realism, feisty menace Arbor and his friend Swifty are expelled from school and turn to illegal means of making money. DIR Clio Barnard. SCR Clio Barnard. CAST Connor Chapman, Shaun Thomas, Sean Gilder, Rebecca Manley. United Kingdom.

THE STRANGE LITTLE CAT – A whimsical exploration of the tensions and pleasures of everyday life is made in a cramped Berlin apartment overflowing with adults, children and pets. DIR Ramon Zürcher. SCR Ramon Zürcher. Jenny Schily, Anjorka Strechel, Mia Kasalo, Luk Pfaff. Germany.

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

HER

This romantic comedy from Spike Jonze presents a lonely writer who develops an unlikely relationship with his newly purchased operating system. DIR/SCR Spike Jonze. CAST Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde. USA.Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2013 - This will be in theaters soon after it screens at AFI so technically I should just wait but I love everything Spike Jonze has done thus far and I really need to see this film as soon as possible, it looks to be a great twist on a traditional love story.

JODOROWSKY’S DUNE

Midnight movie icon Alejandro Jodorowsky's ambitious vision for his "Dune" adaptation is a Who's Who of 1970s-era sci-fi artists and a love letter to cinema. DIR Frank Pavich. USA.Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2013 - The buzz that has followed this film through its film festival circuit is all positive and as a big time fan of "Dune" there's no denying I will be adjusting my schedule to this film's screening times.

PHILOMENA

A BBC journalist helps a woman search for the lost son she was forced to give up after she became an unwed mother in 1950s Ireland. DIR Stephen Frears. SCR Steve Coogan, Jeff Pope. CAST Judi Dench, Steve Coogan, Michelle Fairley, Barbara Jefford, Anna Maxwell Martin, Mare Winningham, Sophie Kennedy Clark. United Kingdom.Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2013 - This is another film that will be out immediately following AFI but dammit it looks tremendous and heart felt, something this big softy would love to see before its theatrical release.

THE PAST (LE PASSÉ) – An Iranian man who deserted his French family to return to his homeland comes back to Paris to discover that his wife is involved with another man. DIR/SCR Asghar Farhadi. CAST Bérénice Bejo, Tahar Rahim, Ali Mosaffa, Pauline Burlet. France, Iran, Italy.

THE UNKNOWN KNOWN: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF DONALD RUMSFELD – The latest from Errol Morris focuses on former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Probing and insightful, Morris is the unequalled master of unpacking and contextualizing our recent shared history. DIR Errol Morris. USA.

WORLD CINEMA SELECTIONS

BABY BLUES

A Polish teen tries to balance her adolescent pastimes – shopping, drinking, partying – with her responsibilities as a new mother in this provocative drama. DIR/SCR Kasia Rosłaniec. Poland.Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2013 - I'm worried this could infuriate me, but I'm willing to see it either way.

BETHLEHEM

A Palestinian teen is recruited by the Israeli secret service to inform on his militant brother in this tragic and tense thriller. DIR Yuval Adler. SCR Yuval Adler, Ali Waked. Isarel.Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2013 - Tragic and tense, yes please!

GABRIELLE

A sweet, romantic drama about a young woman with Williams Syndrome, a rare neurodevelopmental disorder, fighting for acceptance and freedom. DIR/SCR Louise Archambault. Canada.Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2013 - Who couldn't use a little sweet with all the heavy material at this year's festival?

HALF OF A YELLOW SUN

This emotional drama, based on a prize-winning novel, gives voice to personal stories of the indignities and atrocities suffered during the Nigerian Civil War. DIR/SCR Biyi Bandele. Nigeria, United Kingdom.Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2013 - This could be hit or miss, but I am hoping for hit.

HELI

A Mexican factory worker and his family are plunged into a world of drugs, violence and corruption when a young army cadet makes a rash decision. DIR Amat Escalante. SCR Amat Escalante, Gabriel Reyes. Mexico, France, Germany, Netherlands.Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2013 - I'm hooked just reading the synopsis.

JUVENILE OFFENDER

A teenager in a Seoul detention center reunites with his mother who gave him up at birth and seeks to rise above his circumstances. DIR Kang Yi-kwan. SCR Kang Yi-kwan, Park Joo-young. South Korea.Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2013 - This sounds brutal and I hope it elevates.

LA JAULA DE ORO

Three Guatemalan teens and a Tzotzil Indian attempt to cross the border into the U.S. believing they will find a better world, but they run into a harsh reality. DIR Diego Quemada-Diez. SCR Diego Quemada-Diez, Gibrán Portela, Lucía Carrera. Mexico, Spain.Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2013 - Friendship dynamics in a road trip type film always speak to me.

MANUSCRIPTS DON'T BURN

Acclaimed filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof tackles the true story of a failed 1995 assassination plot by the Iranian regime against 21 writers and journalists. DIR Mohammad Rasoulof. Iran.Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2013 - I really hope this ends up as riveting as it sounds.

THE MISSING PICTURE

Clay figures, archival footage and narration are combined to revisit the atrocities of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge committed between 1975 and 1979. DIR Rithy Panh. SCR Christophe Bataille. Cambodia, France.Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2013 - Khmer Rouge in claymation? Why not, the history teacher in me is foaming at the mouth.

MOEBIUS

Master provocateur Kim Ki-duk’s latest elevates horrifying acts of gang rape, mutilation and other taboo-busting atrocities into the level of high art. DIR/SCR Kim Ki-duk. South Korea.Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2013 - Kim Ki-duk blew me away with PIETA at last year's AFI FEST, so there is no doubt I will make sure to see this sure to be jarring film.

OMAR

A young Palestinian and his friends become embroiled with the law and face conflicted loyalties in this psychological thriller set in the West Bank. DIR/SCR Hany Abu-Assad. Palestine.Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2013 - I'm fascinated with the Middle East and its culture, add a thriller to the environment and I'm all in.

THE ROCKET

In this charming family drama, a 10-year-old Laotian boy leads his family on a difficult journey and competes in a community rocket festival. DIR/SCR Kim Mordaunt. Australia.Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2013 - This just sounds simply inspiring.

WE ARE THE BEST!

Rebellious middle school girls form a punk band in 1982 Stockholm in this refreshing drama from Lukas Moodysson, based on his wife's graphic novel. DIR/SCR Lukas Moodysson. Sweden.Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2013 - Teenage angst in the form of a punk band, sign me up.

THE WIND RISES

Animation master Hayao Miyazaki indulges in his love of aviation with this look at the life of the man who designed the WWII Japanese fighter plane. DIR/SCR Hayao Miyazaki. Japan.Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2013 - This is the final film of master Hayao Miyazaki. While it kills me that he will no longer direct, I can't wait to see this one at AFI.

BORGMAN – A man's unexpected arrival begins a series of unsettling events that unravel the facade of a wealthy couple, their three children and their nanny. DIR/SCR Alex van Warmerdam. Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark.

CHILD'S POSE – This dark tragicomedy presents an overly protective and domineering mother who uses every means at her disposal to protect her son from the law. DIR Călin Peter Netzer. SCR Răzvan Rădulescu, Călin Peter Netzer. Romania.

THE CONGRESS – In this sci-fi tale, Robin Wright plays an actress who licenses her image – so she can be turned into a virtual movie star – with unforeseen consequences. DIR/SCR Ari Folman. Israel, Germany, Poland, Luxembourg.

AN EPISODE IN THE LIFE OF AN IRON PICKER - This dramatic reenactment of true events follows a Roma family in Bosnia as they desperately seek medical attention from the state health care system. DIR Danis Tanovic. Bosnia, Herzegovina, France, Slovenia.

EXHIBITION – Inside a stylish modern London house, the relationship between a pair of artists undergoes tensions as they prepare to leave their beloved home. DIR/SCR Joanna Hogg. United Kingdom.

GRAND CENTRAL – A young worker at a nuclear power plant in the south of France finds himself falling into an illicit romance in this drama about uncontrollable forces. DIR Rebecca Zlotowski. SCR Gaëlle Mace, Rebecca Zlotowski. France, Austria.

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON – Hirokazu Kore-eda's touching drama tells the story of two families who learn that their six-year-old sons were switched at birth. DIR/SCR Hirokazu Kore-eda. Japan.

THE LUNCHBOX – A mistaken lunchbox delivery in Mumbai leads to a relationship between an unfulfilled housewife and an isolated accountant on the verge of retirement. DIR/SCR Ritesh Batra. India, France, Germany.

MANAKAMANA – High above a jungle in Nepal, pilgrims make an ancient journey by cable car to worship at the legendary Manakamana temple. DIR Stephanie Spray, Pacho Velez. Nepal, USA.

MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS – The personal story of the 16th century royal figure who played a key role in Great Britain's historic conflict between Protestants and Catholics. DIR Thomas Imbach. SCR Thomas Imbach, Andrea Štaka, Eduard Habsburg. Switzerland, France.

OUR SUNHI – South Korean auteur Hong Sang-soo returns with this character study of a recent film school grad and the three men who revolve around her life. DIR/SCR Hong Sang-soo. South Korea.

STRANGER BY THE LAKE – A lakeside beach in the French countryside is the setting for this frank exploration of gay cruising and the mysterious spell of danger and desire. DIR/SCR Alain Guiraudie. France.

TOM AT THE FARM – 24-year-old Xavier Dolan's ambitious fourth feature presents the story of a young gay man who travels to a farm in Quebec and faces a family in denial. DIR Xavier Dolan. SCR Xavier Dolan, Michel Marc Bouchard. Canada, France.

VIC + FLO SAW A BEAR – Two lesbian lovers and former convicts settle in the countryside of Quebec after they're released from prison in this offbeat and engrossing crime drama. DIR/SCR Denis Côté. Canada.

WHEN EVENING FALLS ON BUCHAREST OR METABOLISM – Romanian New Wave filmmaker Corneliu Poremboiu is back with this cunning portrait of sexual hypocrisy between a film director and his lead actress. DIR/SCR Corneliu Porumboiu. Romania, France.

Hopefully you have already pre-registered for free tickets to the best annual film festival in Los Angeles, if not beginning November 2nd additional tickets will be available both online and at the AFI FEST AT&T Box Office through the Closing Night of the festival.